Karima Mariama-Arthur

A corporate attorney and leading authority on leadership development and organizational performance management, Karima Mariama-Arthur brings more than 25 years of comprehensive, blue chip experience in law, business and academia to every client engagement. A shrewd advisor to distinguished organizations from DC to Dubai, her expert insights help clients to successfully navigate today’s ever-changing and competitive global business environment. Karima is the author of the internationally acclaimed and 2019 NAACP Image Award nominated leadership guidebook, Poised For Excellence: Fundamental Principles of Effective Leadership in the Boardroom and Beyond (Palgrave Macmillan), which launched at the United States Military Academy at West Point. As an extension of her work, she speaks regularly both nationally and internationally in her areas of expertise and serves in an advisory capacity on select corporate boards.

Masterful at her craft, she advises individuals and organizations on the dynamics of leadership development, complex communication and performance management. Her shrewd ability to identify nuances and empower clients to achieve greater purpose and results is what makes Karima an indispensable asset in today’s competitive global environment.

Prior to founding WordSmithRapport™, Karima spent more than a decade working exclusively with corporate litigtion based firms where she focused on corporate compliance, commercial transactions, and complex foreign litigation. Introduced to the world of complex litigation while clerking for the late Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr., she learned to manage voluminous caseloads and developed an affinity for resolving high-stakes disputes. For the past 15 years she has served diligently as a trusted advisor to the Lawyer Assistance Committee for the Lawyer Assistance Program of the District of Columbia Bar, a confidential program that provides assistance to lawyers, judges, and law students who experience problems that interfere with their personal lives or their ability to serve as counsel or officers of the court.

Committed to lifelong  learning and excellence at the highest level, the foundation of her work is showcased through scholarship in partnership with Cornell University,  Wharton School of Business and Columbia Business School.